inductor

electronics

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July 22, 2026

Quick Summary

An inductor is an electronic component that stores energy in a magnetic field when electric current flows through it. This property is known as inductance, and it is measured by the size of the electromotive force (voltage) induced in the conductor relative to the rate of change of the electric current producing it.12

Inductors are often in the shape of a coil. They oppose changes in electric current due to a phenomenon called self-induction. When current begins to flow, the inductor resists the increase; when the current is cut off, the collapsing magnetic field induces a voltage that tends to maintain the current. The unit of inductance is the henry. An inductor can be part of an electrical apparatus that acts upon or is acted upon by induction.13

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electricity
Basic phenomena and principles
Inductors are essentially coils of conducting wire; they store magnetic energy in the form of a magnetic field generated by the current in the coil. All three components provide some impedance to the flow of alternating currents. In the case of capacitors and inductors, the…
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Inductors are essentially coils of conducting wire; they store magnetic energy in the form of a magnetic field generated by the current in the coil. All three components provide some impedance to the flow of alternating currents. In the case of capacitors and inductors, the…
Read More

induction heating
A water-cooled coil, or inductor, acting as the primary winding of a transformer, surrounds the material to be heated (the workpiece), which acts as the secondary winding. Alternating current flowing in the primary coil induces eddy currents in the workpiece, causing it to become heated. The depth to which…
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A water-cooled coil, or inductor, acting as the primary winding of a transformer, surrounds the material to be heated (the workpiece), which acts as the secondary winding. Alternating current flowing in the primary coil induces eddy currents in the workpiece, causing it to become heated. The depth to which…
Read More

radio-frequency heating
Induction heating.
…conductor or coil called an inductor, which is connected to a radio-frequency generator. The electromagnetic field causes electrical currents to be excited in regions of the material that lie within the field of the inductor. These currents heat the object. The precise amount of heat generated is dependent on three…
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…conductor or coil called an inductor, which is connected to a radio-frequency generator. The electromagnetic field causes electrical currents to be excited in regions of the material that lie within the field of the inductor. These currents heat the object. The precise amount of heat generated is dependent on three…
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electronics
Oscillation
…the parallel combination of an inductor and a capacitor is a tuned circuit: at one frequency, and only one, the inductive effects and the capacitive effects balance. At this frequency the voltage developed across the tuned circuit is a maximum. Positive feedback is provided by the inductor in the collector…
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…the parallel combination of an inductor and a capacitor is a tuned circuit: at one frequency, and only one, the inductive effects and the capacitive effects balance. At this frequency the voltage developed across the tuned circuit is a maximum. Positive feedback is provided by the inductor in the collector…
Read More